Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars

Tímea Szabó; Gabor Domokos; J. Grotzinger; Douglas J. Jerolmack

doi:10.1038/ncomms9366

journal article Open Access Oct 13, 2015

Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars

Tímea Szabó Gabor Domokos J. Grotzinger

Douglas J. Jerolmack

Nature Communications Vol. 6 No. 1 · Springer Science and Business Media LLC

View at Publisher Save 10.1038/ncomms9366

Abstract

AbstractThe discovery of remarkably rounded pebbles by the rover Curiosity, within an exhumed alluvial fan complex in Gale Crater, presents some of the most compelling evidence yet for sustained fluvial activity on Mars. While rounding is known to result from abrasion by inter-particle collisions, geologic interpretations of sediment shape have been qualitative. Here we show how quantitative information on the transport distance of river pebbles can be extracted from their shape alone, using a combination of theory, laboratory experiments and terrestrial field data. We determine that the Martian basalt pebbles have been carried tens of kilometres from their source, by bed-load transport on an alluvial fan. In contrast, angular clasts strewn about the surface of the Curiosity traverse are indicative of later emplacement by rock fragmentation processes. The proposed method for decoding transport history from particle shape provides a new tool for terrestrial and planetary sedimentology.

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References

Details

Published: Oct 13, 2015
Vol/Issue: 6(1)
License: View

Authors

Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences California Institute of Technology Pasadena California USA

D

Douglas J. Jerolmack

Cite This Article

Tímea Szabó, Gabor Domokos, J. Grotzinger, et al. (2015). Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars. Nature Communications, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9366

Reconstructing the transport history of pebbles on Mars

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